KARACHI, Feb 19: Around 17 per cent of all TB cases recently confirmed in Pakistan were found to be in children under five years of age.

Studies conducted by different health-care institutions and NGOs mention eight million new cases of TB occurring annually, with an estimated number of two million deaths. The number of new cases might reach 10.2 million by the year 2005.

T.B is not generally considered to be a child disease, yet it is increasingly being noticed among local children. The situation is all the more serious diagnosing the disease in kids is quite difficult, and so is its management.

Dr Mobina Agboatwala of the Health Oriented Preventive Education fears that impoverished kids, particularly those of Afghan refugees who are infected with TB and other infectious diseases, may contribute to spread of epidemics if effective control measures are not initiated with the help of international funding agencies.

Unchecked spread of infectious diseases are a serious economic burden as they continue to cause more deaths in Pakistan than natural disasters like earthquakes and floods,” she says.

Tuberculosis related death rate is also registered to be higher among local women than all the cases of maternal mortality, hence the need for an integrated approach to combat disease.

Women in their productive years are more likely to be inflicted with the disease than men in the same age group.

Tuberculosis is not only preventable but also curable, says Fauzia Siddiqui of SADA Foundation, National Institute of Child Health (NICH).

She mentions the measures adopted at the NICH where child T.B patients belonging to poor families are provided absolutely free-of-charge treatment.

According to her, some 100 children up to 15 years of age are being treated under the programme managed through the “Adopt A Child” scheme.

“A mere donation of Rs1000 per month for nine consecutive months can help the poor kids get a news lease of healthy life,” she says.—APP